Wyden Slams Trump Administration on Greenlighting Plans to Deport Hundreds of Unaccompanied Children Held in Government Custody
Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., slammed the Trump administration after receiving disturbing reports from whistleblowers that the Office of Refugee
Resettlement (ORR) has finalized plans to deport nearly 700 Guatemalan children in government custody, who are awaiting reunification with family members or placement with sponsors.
These plans from the Trump administration are its latest attempt to disappear vulnerable unaccompanied children, violating ORR’s mandate to prioritize the welfare of children in their care.
“This move threatens to separate children from their families, lawyers, and support systems, to thrust them back into the very conditions they are seeking refuge from, and to disappear vulnerable children beyond the reach of American law and oversight,” Wyden highlighted in a letter to ORR Interim Director Angie Salazar.
Unaccompanied children often flee from abuse and violence in their home countries before arriving alone at America’s borders. ORR has the legal responsibility to ensure that these children are cared for and reunify them with their family in a timely manner. However, the second Trump administration has quickly turned ORR into an immigration enforcement arm that repeatedly uses unaccompanied children as bait to draw out undocumented family members for detainment. The escalation of attacks on unaccompanied children have led to serious harm, including prolonged separation from their families and even an increase in hopelessness and suicidal thoughts.
“The Administration’s decision to forcibly remove children from this country is outrageous and would undoubtedly result in serious violations of human rights, American law, and our shared responsibility to safeguard the welfare of these extremely vulnerable children. The world watched in horror as the first Trump administration ripped children from their families and held them in inhumane conditions. It appears this administration is eager to go even farther,” Wyden continued.
In February, Wyden demanded ORR to stop improper information sharing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that would undermine the care of unaccompanied children and risk prolonged detention of children and family separation.
The text of the letter is available here.
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